William b



W. B. SEAL. OAR COUPLING.

(No Model.)

No. 462,999. Patented Nov. 1-0. 1891.

MWJ/ 0 avwamtorc UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM B. SEAL, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR TO l/VILLIAM S.

' REINS, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 462,999, dated November 10, 1891.

Application filed January 15,1891. Serial No. 377,845. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. SEAL, a citizen of Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in oar-couplers, its object being to provide an automatic oar coupler having strong and reliable parts, all of which are properly arranged within the cavity of the draw-head Where they are protected from the usual punishment that similar parts are subjected to in other couplers; and with this object in view the invention consists in three coacting partsnamely, the draw-head, the bell-crankshaped hook or lever, and the gravity-drop.

The invention also consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a View illustrating two couplers in locked positions, one draw-head being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a draw-head, showing my improvements applied thereto in unlocked position. Fig. 3 is a view of the bellcrank-shaped lever. Fig. 4 isa separate view of the gravity-drop or locking-lever.

A represents the drawhead, similarlyshaped plates at a forming the top and bot tom walls, respectively, and the depth of the cavity 5 formed in the draw-head is regulated by the width of the side plates 0 c, which form the side Walls of the draw-head. The former of these side plates 0 extend flush with the forward edge of the inner end of the L-shaped plates, the other side plates 0 extending, preferably, a little farther out toward the extreme end of the coupler.

In the extreme ends cl of the L-shaped plates the bell-crank-shaped hook or lever O is pivoted. This hook or lever consists of two integral arms, approximately at right angles to each other, one having a sloping upper face from its pivotal support to the outer end and its outerface f, also preferably sloping to the end, the upper edge of arm e being also made curved or convex, and the other arm of said hook or lever having a rounded and thickened end in which arecesshis formed. This recess is adapted to receive an ordinary coupling-link when one is employed, a pin h being inserted through holes 1'.

Just inside the cavity 2) and pivoted to the wall 0 is the gravity-drop D. The Width of the drop is about equal to the depth of the cavity, so that the drop will not vibrate laterally in the event that it is struck. This drop extends only part-way across the draw-head, leaving a space beyond its end about equal to the width of the smaller arm of the coupling-hook. The forward lower edge j of this drop is beveled, the object of this construction being to admit of an easy sliding movement of the drop over the sloping upper edge of the smaller arm of the coupling hook or lever. The arm 6 of the coupling hook or lever is provided with a ledge or projection x on its inner face, upon which the free end of the drop D is adapted to rest when the parts are in their locked positions, as shown in Fig. 1. A rocking bar F is loosely supported in aloop H across the forward end of the car. This bar is provided with an inwardly-projecting arm Z, and loosely suspended therefrom is a pin m, which passes freely through a hole 19 in the top plate of the draw-head and is connected with the drop D. Through this mechanism the drop may be lifted at any moment from the side of the car, and thus thecars may be uncoupled. If desired, the pin on may terminate in a yoke adapted to embrace the drop D and be pivotally connected thereto.

When the cars are together and coupled to prevent the coupling-hooks sliding up or down out of engagement with each other, crescentshaped web 0 is formed in the angle of the L-shaped top and bottom plates. As the cars come together the coupling-hook, which has been thrown open by the cars drawing apart, is struck and forced under the drop and locked by the latter.

It is evident that slight changes might be made in the details of construction of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof or limiting its scope. Hence I do not wish to limit myself to the precise details of construction herein set forth; but,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with adraw-head having a cavity therein and flanges at the top and bottom, of bell-crank-shaped hook piv oted in the cavity and adapted to co-operate with a similar hook in a corresponding dra-W- head and rest between the flanges of the opposing draw-head, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a draw-head having a cavity therein and flanges at top andbottom, of bell-crank-shaped hook pivoted in the cavity and adapted to co-operate with a similar hook in a corresponding draw-head and rest between the flanges of the opposing J NO. T. MADDOX, G. F. DOWNING. 

